Wet Sharpener And Accessories Therefor

ABSTRACT

A tool sharpener having a housing including an interior and an exterior, and at least one rotatable grinding stone disposed adjacent the housing. At least one storage space is disposed within the interior of the housing that is accessible from the exterior of the housing. In another form, a sharpener base is provided having an interior, an exterior and a storage space within the interior that is accessible from the exterior. The sharpener is connected to the base for use in connection therewith.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/775,375, filed Feb. 21, 2006, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sharpening a cutting edge on cuttingtools and, more particularly, to wet sharpeners with a wet, rotatinggrinding stone, and accessories used in conjunction therewith to sharpenthe cutting edge on cutting tools.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tool sharpeners, such as grinders, are used to sharpen cutting edges onwood carving tools, such as cabinet maker tools, chisels, gouges, andthe like, and cutting tools, such as plane blades, jointer blades, axes,scissors, knives, and the like. Typically, wet sharpeners have arotating abrasive grinding wheel mounted along the side of a motorhousing where the rim of the grinding stone is kept wet by having itrotate through a tray holding water. The water provides a slight levelof lubrication between the tool being sharpened and the rim of thegrinding stone to prevent overheating and damaging the tool beingsharpened (e.g., burning the tool edge, removing the temper or causing aloss in hardness of the metal tool being sharpened), as well as todecrease the wear of the grinding stone. Some wet sharpeners provide asecond grinding, honing or polishing wheel mounted on the opposite sideof the housing as the first grinding stone. In view of the multiple usesfor such tool sharpeners, the term sharpening as used herein willgenerally refer to all uses of such tool sharpeners including, but notlimited to, grinding, sharpening, honing, polishing, etc.

The sharpener typically has many accessories such as jigs or supporttools used to hold carving and cutting tools on a support bar in frontof the grinding stone in order to keep the tool steady when it is placedagainst the grinding stone. A number of small separate gauges also areused to configure the jigs for a desired grinding angle or to measurecutting edge sizes on the tools. Since these numerous accessories areseparate from the sharpener and its supports, they can often be lost ormisplaced rather easily. Thus, a convenient storage compartment or spaceis desired to address this problem.

The grinding stone mounted on the side of the motor housing is typicallyrotated at a single, low speed in order to maintain a certain amount ofmoisture on the grinding stone rim. However, protracted use causes areduction of the diameter of the wet grinding wheel and, accordingly,decreases the outer rim or surface speed of the grinding wheel. Forexample, a 10″ diameter wheel worn down to a 6″ diameter, results in a40% reduction in surface speed. Erosion of the wet grinding wheelreduces the ability of the grinding wheel to efficiently cut and sharpena tool (i.e., reduces “cutting aggression”). A wet sharpener is neededthat can compensate for this erosion.

Known dry wheel bench grinders, employ a variable speed motor forcareful sharpening of fine edges to vary the aggressiveness of thegrinding. However, such grinders operate at speeds that are too high tobe used with wet sharpeners, such as for example ranges of 2000 RPM andfaster. Speeds this high cannot be used on wet sharpeners because atsuch a high speed, the water is thrown off of the grinding stone anddoes not adhere to the rim of the grinding stone. Without sufficientwater on its rim, the grinding wheel will undesirably wear and overheat.Therefore, it is desirable to address these shortcomings as well asthose associated with grinding wheel erosion discussed above.

Conventional wet sharpeners further employ a pendulum structure wherethe motor hangs from a bar and is free to swing relative to the grindingstone rim. Gravity holds the motor, and more specifically the motor'sdrive shaft, against the drive wheel of the grinding stone. This enablesthe motor to rotate the grinding stone purely through friction betweenits rotating drive shaft and the grinding stone drive wheel.

The gravity-friction based drive force, however, is not always adequateto rotate the grinding stone at a constant speed (constant RPM) or torotate the grinding stone fast enough. In addition, other factors suchas contaminates or liquids on the contact points between the drive wheelrim and drive shaft can further reduce the friction coefficient of thecontact. Thus, a need exists for a wet sharpener that provides astronger frictional force than a simple pendulum-gravity configurationand that can compensate for debris or liquids that reduce friction atthe contact points.

The typical, rotating grinding stone is mounted on the side of asharpener's motor housing and is held near a horizontally extending,support bar also mounted on the motor housing. The support bar supportsdifferent jigs which, in turn, support the tool while being sharpened bythe grinding stone. The jigs hold the tool at selected angles relativeto the grinding stone as the tool is placed in contact with theabrasive, outer rim of the grinding stone.

One such jig is a straight edge jig. This jig includes a base plate thatmounts on the sharpener support bar while the tool to be sharpened, suchas a flat, hand plane iron, is placed across the base plate of the jig.An upper plate is placed over the tool, to clamp the tool between thebase and upper plate. The straight edge jig can be rotated away andtoward the grinding stone (i.e., rotated about the horizontal supportbar so that the axis of rotation of the jig is parallel to the axis ofrotation of the grinding stone). The jig is rotated to select the angleof the tool relative to the grinding stone surface, as well as movedside-to-side along the support bar in front of the grinding stone tosharpen or form a straight cutting edge on the tool.

Another jig is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,384. This jig holds atool in a casing that can be swiveled horizontally to a range ofinclined positions relative to the base of the jig, the support bar andthe grinding stone. The jig also can be rotated vertically upon thesupport bar in a range of grinding angles relative to the grindingstone.

While these jigs enable sharpening or creation of a curved cutting edge,which is horizontal or inclined, they do not enable creation of a true‘vertical’ cambered surface or cutting edge where the side edges of aflat plate or iron cutting tool are thinner than at the center of thecutting tool. In addition, the jig disclosed by the '384 patent isparticularly suited to hold round or beveled tools in its V-shapedseats. While it can hold flat tools, the user tends to have a difficulttime arranging the flat tool or iron to sit level within the V-shapedseat of the jig.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,712 discloses a multi-jointed arm jig with an elbowjoint and wrist joint for sharpening or forming curved surfaces on roundtools, such as cylindrical gouges, held at the end of the arm. Thesejigs, however, do not hold flat tools or irons.

Currently, the only way to create a cambered edge on a flat tool held bythese jigs is to manually twist the tool as it is placed along thethickness of the grinding stone. Thus, no way exists to obtain identicalcuts from tool-to-tool since the cuts are made by hand.

A need exists for a camber jig that provides support for a flat tool,such as a hand plane iron, while easily forming a cambered cutting edgeon the tool without the need for manually twisting or turning the toolby hand. A need also exists to make a repeatable process to produce thesame camber on multiple tools.

In addition to jigs, gauges are often used with tool sharpeners in orderto recreate the conditions for forming a particularly shaped cuttingedge on a tool and for determining the exact angles created on tools.Some gauges are provided for measuring the grinding angle (i.e., theangle of the tool held in a jig or on a tool support relative to thetangent line where the tool meets the circular grinding surface on agrinding stone).

U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,225 discloses a grinding angle gauge that can beused on grinding stones or wheels of varying diameters. The angle gaugeincludes two adjustable pointers on opposite ends of a frame. At oneend, a rounded end of a pointer rests on the grinding stone and can beturned to delineations of the diameter of the wheel. The pointer at theother end of the frame has a flat end for placement on a tool support,jig, or tool at the point where the implement contacts the grindingstone. The pointed end of the second pointer will indicate the angle ofthe support or jig. One shortcoming with such gauges, however, is thatthey are often difficult to operate and cost more due to their complexconstruction. Thus, a less expensive, less complicated gauge is desiredfor measuring this angle.

Other known gauges are used for measuring the diameter of the grindingwheel or the angle of the cutting edge on the tool. These known gauges,however, are frequently cumbersome to use, inaccurate and cannot beconveniently stored on the sharpener. Thus, a need also exists forgauges that address these shortcomings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wet sharpener embodying features ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the wet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is front elevational view of the wet sharpener of FIG. 1 withouta base;

FIG. 4 is a rear cross-sectional view of the wet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the wet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the variable speed control used in the wetsharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7A is a circuit diagram of a variable speed control circuit for thewet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7B is an alternative circuit diagram of a variable speed controlcircuit for the wet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for changing the speed of rotation or RPM of thewheels of the wet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9A is an enlarged, rear perspective view of the wet sharpener ofFIG. 1 with the wheel-diameter gauge in a first position;

FIG. 9B another enlarged, rear perspective, partial view of the wetsharpener of FIG. 1 with the wheel-diameter gauge in a second position;

FIG. 9C is a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of the wetsharpener of FIG. 1 showing the wheel-diameter gauge;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a diameter scale for the wet sharpener ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a right side, cross-sectional view of the wet sharpener ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart for adjusting the friction against the wheel onthe wet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13A is a perspective view of a pivoting wet sharpener;

FIG. 13B is a perspective view of a pivoting wet sharpener without abase;

FIG. 13C is an exploded perspective view of a pivot table of the wetsharpener of FIGS. 13A-13B;

FIG. 13D is a cross-sectional, side view of the pivot table of FIG. 13C;

FIG. 13E is a close-up, cross-sectional side view of an alternativeconfiguration for the pivot table of FIG. 13C;

FIG. 14 is a front, perspective view of a jig employing features of thepresent invention for use with the wet sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the jig of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a front, elevational view of the jig of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a back and right side perspective view of the wet sharpenerof FIG. 1 with the jig of FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged, perspective view of an end of a tool to besharpened by the tool sharpener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a front elevational view of a grinding angle gauge employingfeatures of the present invention for use with the tool sharpener ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of the grinding angle gauge ofFIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a cutting angle gauge embodyingfeatures of the present invention for use with the tool sharpener ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is an exploded, perspective view of the cutting angle gauge ofFIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a right side elevational view of the gauge of FIGS. 21-22mounted on the tool sharpener of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a secondary honing wheel connected tothe main honing wheel of the tool sharpener of FIG. 1 for use withcurved or angled cutting tools.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a tool sharpener 10 with ahousing 12, having a left sidewall 14, a right sidewall 16 and front,top and rear side panels 20, 22 and 24, respectively. The housing 12 isdisposed on top of a base 18, such as a pedestal, and has an integrallyformed front panel 20, top panel 22 and back panel 24 (shown in FIG. 2),although the panels could be manufactured separately. In an alternativeform, the tool sharpener 10 can be provided without the base 18, asshown in FIG. 3.

Each sidewall 14, 16 of the housing 12 has a side panel 26, 28respectively enclosing the interior of the housing 12 and that ends at abottom plate 30 or 32 extending perpendicular from a corresponding sidepanel 26 or 28 in order to form a widened base. Each sidewall 14, 16also has a respective corresponding front, triangular brace 34, 36, andbackward extending triangular braces 35, 37 (shown on FIGS. 5 and 12)which adds further support for the left and right side panels 26, 28. Ina preferred form, the side walls 14, 16 are fastened to the front panel20 and the back panel 24 via fasteners, such as screws, which arescrewed into mating threaded bores connected to the front and backpanels 20, 24. It should be understood, however, that in alternateembodiments, these components may be connected via other fasteners, suchas rivets, bolts, adhesives, or the like, or even may be configured tosnap together or be formed integrally with panels 20, 22 and 24, ifdesired.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, four feet 38 are fastened (e.g., adhered) to thebottom plates 30, 32 of the side panels 14, 16 and have through-holes 39for receiving a fastener 40, such as a threaded shank (not shown) of agnarled head or knob. The fastener 40 is placed through thethrough-holes 39 of the feet 38 and into threaded apertures 41 on topwall 104 of the base 18 for securing the housing 12 to the optional base18. A circular, raised rib 45 or other alignment structure surroundseach aperture 41 to align the feet 38 with the apertures. For example,in the form shown, the feet 38 are generally cylindrical rubber membersthat may be used to support the sharpener 10 when the optional base 18is not used. Alternatively, if base 18 is used, the round cylindricalfoot members are positioned within the circular raised rib 45 of thebase 18 to align the opening of the base 18 with the opening of the feet38 so that the housing 12 may be connected to the tool sharpener base 18via fasteners such as screws. It should be understood, however, that inalternate embodiments the aperture may be formed by bushings or otherstructures when the top wall 104 of the base 18 is not made of amaterial suitable for receiving a fastener directly.

Referring to FIG. 4, a grinding stone 42 is disposed adjacent thehousing 12, and is mounted on a rotatable axle 44 that extends throughside panel 28, through the interior 48 of housing 12, and out the leftside panel 26 where the axle 44 engages a honing wheel 46 so that thehoning wheel 46 and the grinding stone 42 rotate together. Moreparticularly, a threaded end 44 a of axel 44 is inserted through thecentral opening of grinding stone 42. A fastener, such as nut 41, isattached to the distal end of threaded end 44 a and tightened to firmlyand securely connect the grinding stone 42 to the axel 44. Thus, whenassembled, the grinding stone 42 rotates along with the axel 44.

The grinding stone illustrated is made of a ceramic material containingaluminum-oxide and may be provided in a wide range of grit ratings. Forexample, for some applications a very coarse grit, such as a 200 gritstone, may be desired. For other applications, a much more fine grit,such as a 1000 grit stone, may be desired. Thus, it should be understoodthat the material and coarseness/fineness of the stone may be variedover a wide range depending on the application for which the operatorwishes to use the sharpener 10.

In the embodiment illustrated, a honing wheel 46 is connected to theopposite end of axel 44 in a manner similar to that of the grindingstone 42. More particularly, the threaded end 44 b of axel 44 isinserted through the central opening in honing wheel 46. The honingwheel 46 is then fastened to the axel 44 via a fastener, such as nut cap47. A washer may be placed between the nut 47 and the honing wheel 46 inorder to more securely fasten the honing wheel 46 to the axel 44. Thus,once assembled, rotation of honing wheel 46 will result in correspondingrotations of axel 44 and grinding stone 42 connected thereto.

A motor 50 is also disposed in the interior 48 of the housing 12 androtates a drive shaft 52 that rotates the honing wheel 46, which inturn, rotates the axle 44 and the grinding stone 42. The drive shaft 52extends out of the motor 50 and through the left side panel 26 in orderto contact the honing wheel 46. It will be appreciated, however, thatother structures for rotating the wheels 42, 46 are contemplated such asa motor that rotates the grinding stone directly instead of the honingwheel or only rotates the grinding stone 42, such as a direct drivearrangement wherein the motor directly drives the grinding stone 42, orother embodiments such as a geared transmission wherein the drive shaft52 drives a gear or gears which in turn drive at least one of the wheels42, 46.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, a coolant reservoir or container 54, such asa tray or a pan, is mounted beneath the grinding stone 42 in order tokeep the rotating grinding stone 42 in contact with the coolant, such aswater or other liquids, in the container 54. This maintains the grindingwheel 42 below a predetermined temperature to reduce wear of the wheel.In the embodiment shown, the container 54 is mounted on the right panel28 of the right side wall 16 and has a left hook 56 that engages one ofat least two openings 58 defined by the right panel 28 which providealternative height positions for the container. A right hook 57 on thecontainer 54 engages one of at least two backwardly extending tabs 66(best seen in FIGS. 9-10) that are integrally formed with, and bentfrom, back panel 24. In the form illustrated, sidewall 16 has a rim 67with holes 69 to permit access to the tabs 66. Thus, the hooks formed bythe container 54 mate with the lips formed by the sidewall 16 and thetabs 66 to hold the container in the desired location with respect tothe grinding wheel 42 and housing 12.

The purpose for offering a plurality of positions to mount the container54 to the housing 12 is to allow the user to adjust the height of thecontainer 54 when either the diameter of the wheel 42 has shrunk due towear or the water level in the container 54 has dropped and cannot bereadily replaced or replenished. Although the embodiment illustrateduses mating hooks and lips for releasably connecting the container 54 tothe housing 12, it should be understood that any number of differentmating structures may be used to connect the container 54 to the housing12, such as for example, tenon and mortise structures, hook and loopstructures, buttons, clips, etc. For example, in one alternateembodiment, the container 54 may define openings to which hooksextending from the housing 12 are connected.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, an alternative container design (shown indashed line) adds a flared side wall 60 to the pan 54. In thisembodiment, the flared side wall 60 acts as a splashguard for catchingthe coolant ejected from the container 54 or the grinding stone 42 andreturning the coolant to the reservoir 54. The splashguard 60 also helpsto provide a wider area for filling the reservoir 54. Anothersplashguard may be provided near the top of the sharpener 10 to alsocatch and return ejected coolant to the reservoir 54. For example, inthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the splashguard 62 is bent upwardand is mounted on the top panel 22 or the side panel 16 (or both) sothat it wraps around a handle 64 on the top panel 22 in order tointercept coolant ejected from the grinding stone 42 and moving towardthe top panel 22. The splashguard 62 has a cut-out 61 that receives thehandle to avoid a hand-gripping portion 63 of the handle 64.

While the upper splashguard 62 is shown to be generally rectangular, itmay have many other shapes including those that are more semi-circularin shape to more closely match the splash patterns from the wet grindingstone 42. The splashguard 60 may also have a variety of different shapesas long as it continues to catch and return ejected coolant to thereservoir of container 54.

The tool sharpener 10 also has three horizontally extending support bars68 (also called the ‘universal support’) for holding the variousaccessories, such as jigs and supports, for the sharpening of tools (notshown). The support bars 68 are mounted on the top panel 22 of thehousing 12 by using collars 70 and threaded fasteners 72 with gnarledknobs 74. In a preferred form, the support bars 68 are made of iron orother hard metals that can withstand the pressure placed on the bars 68when accessories are used therewith to sharpen tools via sharpener 10.

Referring to FIGS. 4-5, the tool sharpener 10 has convenient storagespaces within the housing 12 and base 18 for storing the accessoriesused with the tool sharpener. For example, in the embodimentillustrated, the front panel 20 has an opening 76 for receiving areceptacle 78 a, such as a drawer. The receptacle 78 a slides alongrails 80 (shown best in FIG. 4). The rails 80 are angle shaped andextend from the front panel 20 to the back panel 24. The receptacle 78 ahas a bottom wall 82, back wall 84 and two side walls 86 as well as afront wall 88 that has a hand-sized indent 90 to operate as a handle.Receptacle 78 a also has a height that avoids interference with any ofthe mechanisms in the interior 48 of the housing. A leaf spring 92(shown in FIG. 5) is mounted on the exterior of one of the side panels86 so that the receptacle 78 a fits snuggly within opening 76 of thefront wall 20 in order to avoid unintentional opening of the receptacle.

Similarly, when a base 18 is provided, the interior 94 of the base 18can hold at least one receptacle although a plurality of receptacles,such as drawers 78 b and 78 c, are preferred. The drawers 78 b and 78 cmay have the same structure as receptacle 78 a although the dimensionsor structure of the receptacles may also be different, if desired. Forexample, alternate drawer members may have sliding rail members withbearings attached to the drawers in order to allow the drawers to openand close more easily when under load. In yet other forms, drawers ofdifferent shapes and sizes may be provided and/or drawers may extendfrom the sides or rear of base 18, rather than the front alone.

The base 18 is preferably formed by a back wall 96 (shown on FIG. 2),side walls 98, front wall 100, bottom wall 102 which the receptacles 78b, 78 c rest upon, and top wall 104 that is sturdy enough to hold thetool sharpener when it is operating. Rails 106 extend inward from avicinity of openings 108 on the front wall 100 of the base 18 thatreceive the receptacles 78 b, 78 c. The rails 106 are simply flat platesthat sit upright on the bottom wall 102 of the base 18. As mentionedabove, however, the rails 80 or 106 can be of any shape or structurethat holds or guides the receptacles 78 a-c while permitting thereceptacles to slide through opening 76 or 108, respectively.

The receptacles 78 a-c also have a downwardly extending tab 110 (shownin dashed line in FIG. 5) on the back wall 84 in order to hook onto thefront wall 80 or 100 of the housing 12 or base 18 respectively in orderto prevent unintentional full separation or removal of the receptacles78 a-c from the housing 12 or base 18.

It will be appreciated that the storage spaces within the interior 48,94 of the housing 12 or base 18 can be configured to use receptacles ofmany different types. For instance, instead of the drawers, the interiorstorage spaces may have a permanent receptacle 78 that is accessiblefrom the exterior of the tool sharpener by either an opening thatremains open or selectively covered by any type of door, such as ahinged or sliding doors. The receptacle 78 may have its own walls or maynot have any walls at all by simply relying on the walls of the housing12 or base 18 to provide the enclosure for the implements to be placedin the storage area. Further, more than one drawer or receptacle mayform a single storage space whether they are stacked or placed side byside or otherwise, and may be accessible through one or more openings onthe housing 12 or base 18.

Referring to FIG. 2, the tool sharpener 10 can have an exteriorreceptacle 112 (shown in dashed line) with side walls 114, a back wall(not shown), and a bottom wall 116. At least one of the walls 114, 116would be attached to an unused area on one of the panels 20, 22, 24, 26,28, 96, 98 of the housing 12 or base 18. The receptacle 112 can befastened or attached by welding, fasteners, hung by tabs, or any othermethod that secures the receptacle 112 to the tool sharpener 10. Thereceptacle 112 could have an open top 118 or any type of door or cover.The receptacle 112 could also sit upon or be secured to the top panel104 or one of the sides 96, 98, 100 of the base 18.

It will further be appreciated that the side walls 114, bottom wall 116or the back wall may be formed of a net, webbing or other aperturedstructure that holds accessories or tools by inserting the accessory ortool through a hole on one of the walls. The exterior storage receptacle112 can be sized to hold one or more accessories or tools or even beconfigured to correspond to the shape of one or more of the accessories.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, another aspect of the invention is avariable speed control that is provided with the tool sharpener 10 inorder to change the rotation speed of the grinding stone 42. Thevariable speed is provided in order to compensate for a change in thediameter of the grinding stone 42 which occurs due to wear and whichchanges the contacting surface speed on the grinding stone. Thus,performance is enhanced and a constant level of aggression can bemaintained by allowing the rotation speed to be changed to maintain aconstant surface speed on the grinding stone 42.

Alternatively, the rotation speed may be increased to intentionallyincrease the grinding aggression. This has the effect of reducing thetotal time for sharpening a tool without requiring increased pressure orforce to be applied to the tool. Thus, the user is able to select aspeed which subjectively feels the most comfortable and/or the mostefficient.

In one form, the variable speed control may be configured to provide arange of low speeds, such as for example speeds between approximately 50to 150 RPM, which avoid significant ejection of the coolant from thereservoir 54 and the contacting surface or rim 132 of the grinding stone42 in order to maintain the fluid level in the reservoir 54 andtemperature of the contacting surface 132 within acceptable levels. Inoperation, the diameter of the grinding wheel 42 is measured todetermine if the rotation (e.g., speed or RPM) of the wheel should beadjusted to avoid having the grinding wheel 42 rotate at too low a rateof speed/RPM or too high a rate of speed/RPM (Step 150 in FIG. 8). Forexample, if the diameter of the wheel has decreased to the point thatthe wheel is now spinning at too low of a rate of speed/RPM, an actuator124, such as dial or knob 130 and potentiometer 142, may be adjusted toincrease the speed/RPM of the grinding wheel 42 (Step 152 in FIG. 8).Once adjusted, the grinding stone 42 will be operated at the desired orselected speed/RPM set by the actuator 124 (Step 154 of FIG. 8).

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, the actuator 124 extendsout from the back panel 24 of the housing 12 so that the actuator may berotated between a plurality of different positions, each correspondingto a different rate of speed or RPM for the motor output shaft, and inturn the grinding stone 42 connected thereto. More specifically, theinput shaft of potentiometer 142 extends out of a back plate or backface 134 of control box 128 and is connected to knob or dial 130 whichan operator may use to rotate the potentiometer 142 about the pluralityof different positions. In one form, the knob 130 may have a grip to aidthe user in operating the actuator 124. For example, the knob 130 mayinclude knurling, textured surfaces, overmolding (such as an elastomerinjected overmolding), rubber coatings or layers, or the like, whichassist the user in gripping and turning the actuator 124. Although notdiscussed in detail above, the other threaded fasteners discussed hereinin connection with sharpener 10 may also include such grips to assistthe operator in tightening or releasing the fasteners.

In the embodiment illustrated, indicia 136 is displayed on the back face134 of sharpener 10 in the vicinity of the dial 130 so that dial 130 canbe rotated to a predetermined position to select a desired settingwithin a range of possible settings. The indicia 136 may display speed,RPMs, corresponding grinding stone diameters, or any combination or oneof these. For example, the indicia may provide a scale identifyingdifferent predetermined speed/RPM settings which are desired for certaingrinding stone diameters (Step 152 in FIG. 8). In a preferred form, theindicia displays a scale with the following five demarcations orsettings: 90 RPM/10″ Diameter; 105 RPM/9″ Diameter; 120 RPM/8″ Diameter;135 RPM/7″ Diameter; 150 RPM/6″ Diameter. These settings are merelyexemplary, however, and may vary according to application. For example,alternate sharpeners 10 may include these RPM/Diameter settings for afirst grinding stone and a second set of settings (or a second scale)for use with a different grinding stone, such as when the first grindingstone is replaced with a grinding stone of different texture, coarsenessor grit. In yet other embodiments, the indicia may provide a scale orscales with different alpha/numerical indicia (e.g., speed, RPM,diameter, etc.) that have been selected for specific applications.

The actuator 124 may also include a pointer or needle 146 (FIGS. 2 and5) which rotates with the knob or dial 130 in order to indicate theactuator's position with respect to the indicia 136 and/or the sharpenerhousing 12. For example, in the embodiment illustrated, the sharpener 50includes a pointer 146 which is connected to the dial 130 via a fasteneror fasteners, such as set screws (not shown), and extends out from theknob 130 and tracks the scale created by the indicia 136. In otherembodiments, the pointer 146 may be integral to the knob or dial 130, toreduce the number of pieces required for the actuator 124. For example,the knob 130 may be molded out of plastic and include an integralpointer such as a raised protrusion or line which the operator may useto track the knob's position with respect to the indicia 136 and/or thesharpener housing 12.

In yet other embodiments, the location of the indicia 136 and pointer146 may be reversed so that the knob or dial 130 includes indicia andthe tool sharpener housing 12 includes a pointer. With thisconfiguration, the operator may track the position of the actuator andselect the desired motor speed/RPM by rotating the actuator until theindicia on the knob 130 lines up with the pointer on the tool sharpenerhousing. In still other forms, both the knob 130 and housing 12 maycontain indicia which the operator may use to track the actuator'sposition and/or set the desired motor speed/RPM.

In the embodiment illustrated, the actuator 124 may be rotated about itsaxis approximately three-hundred fifty degrees (350°), with most (if notall) increments corresponding to a change in motor speed or RPM. Asmentioned above, however, the preferred indicia will not attempt totrack every possible setting of the actuator or motor speed/RPM, butrather will attempt to mark relevant settings that help the user inadjusting the rotation of the grinding stone 42 when needed. Forexample, in the embodiment discussed above, the five demarcationsmentioned were selected because they represent a preferred change inspeed/RPM based on various grinding stone diameters. The scale selectedillustrates the desired speed/RPM each time the diameter of the grindingstone is reduced by an inch. For example, the first setting on the scaleidentifies the desired speed/RPM when the grinding stone is ten inches(10″) in diameter. The next setting identifies the desired speed/RPMwhen the grinding stone is nine inches (9″) in diameter. The nextsetting identifies the desired speed/RPM when the grinding stone iseight inches (8″) in diameter. The next setting identifies the desiredspeed/RPM when the grinding stone is seven inches (7″) in diameter. Thefinal setting identifies the desired speed/RPM when the grinding stoneis six inches (6″) in diameter.

Although the preferred scale uses one inch diameter increments, itshould be understood, that this scale provides users with sufficientinformation to adjust the tool sharpener 10 to operate at other desiredspeeds/RPMs. For example, if the user determines that the diameter ofthe grinding stone is nine and a half inches (9.5″), the scale allowsthe user to rotate the actuator 124 until the pointer 146 is positionedbetween the settings for ten inch (10″) and nine inch (9″) diameters.Furthermore, as mentioned above, a number of different scales may beused for the indicia 136. For example, the indicia may identify desiredincrements of speed/RPM rather than grinding stone diameter. In yetother embodiments, the indicia may identify the desired speed/RPM fordifferent metals that the grinding stone 42 will be used on. Forexample, different speeds/RPMs (or ranges of speeds/RPMs) may beprovided for tools made of softer metals than for tools made of hardermetals.

In other embodiments, the actuator 124 may only adjust the speed/RPMwhen predetermined positions are reached, rather than continuouslyadjusting the speed/RPM as the actuator 124 is rotated. For example,rotation of the actuator between a first predetermined position to asecond predetermined position may not cause a change in the speed/RPMuntil the second predetermined position is reached. This may beaccomplished by programming a controller, such as an integrated circuit(“IC”), to determine the input from an actuator, such as apotentiometer, and maintain the current motor speed until predeterminedinputs or changes in input are reached.

In still other embodiments, the tool sharpener 10 may be provided withan actuator 124 that has positive stops at predetermined intervals whichallow the user to easily adjust the speed/RPM from one setting toanother without concern that the desired speed has been exactly reached.For example, a ball and detent configuration may be used which allowsthe actuator 124 to snap into a predetermined position once a desiredspeed/RPM has been reached. In cases such as this, where a plurality ofdifferent desired settings (e.g., speed, RPM, etc.) positions may exist,the actuator may be designed to have a plurality of positions whereinthe actuator 124 snaps into position via the ball and detentconfiguration.

As shown in FIG. 6, the variable speed control may include an actuator124 connected to a controller 126, which together allow an operator toalter the speed/RPM of the motor output shaft to control the speed/RPMof the wet grinding stone 42. In a preferred form, the controller 126may be in the form of an electronic circuit 138 such as that shown inFIG. 7A. In this circuit, the actuator 124 is a potentiometer 142 whichserves as the input by which the operator may manually adjust thespeed/RPM of the motor output shaft. The controller 126 is preferably anintegrated circuit, such as IC 144, which is connected to thepotentiometer 142 and reads the potentiometer setting to determine whatspeed/RPM the motor output shaft should be operated at and to drive themotor output shaft at the desired speed/RPM.

Although the circuit illustrates the actuator 124 as a potentiometer orrheostat and the controller as an IC, it should be understood thatalternate components may be used to perform the same function. Forexample, the actuator 124 may be in the form of a multiple positionswitch capable of varying the speed/RPM of the motor output shaft.Similarly, the controller may be in the form of a different type ofprocessor or logic control, such as for example a programmable logiccontroller, microprocessor or other micro-controller, or simplyindividual logic components.

In FIG. 7A, AC power is converted to DC power via a rectifier (notshown), and supplied to the electronic circuit. When the potentiometer142 is adjusted, the input signal supplied to the IC 144 via pin 9 (RB3)is altered, which indicates to the IC 144 how much power should beapplied to motor 50 via the electronic switch 148 connected to outputpin 18 (PA1) in order to drive the motor output shaft at the desiredspeed/RPM. More particularly, IC 142 applies an output, such as apotential (e.g., voltage), to two terminals of the potentiometer 142 andreads the input from the third terminal of the potentiometer via pin 9(RB3) to determine the current setting of the knob or dial 130. When theoperator rotates the knob or dial 130, the resistance of thepotentiometer 142 changes thereby changing the input signal (e.g.,voltage) at pin 9 (RB3) of the IC 144. The IC 142 then applies acorresponding output, such as voltage, to the gate of triac 148 therebyturning on the motor and driving the motor out put shaft at the desiredspeed/RPM.

In a preferred form, the variable speed control may also include asensor for monitoring the speed of the motor output shaft and/or thegrinding stone 42 connected thereto. This sensor allows the IC to ensurethat the circuit 138 is operating correctly and that the motor outputshaft is being driven at the desired or selected speed/RPM. For example,in circuit 138, a magnetic sensor, such as Hall Effect sensor 140, isconnected to the IC 144 and the motor output shaft to calculate theactual speed/RPM of the motor output shaft. It should be understood,however, that such a sensor is merely an optional feature and need notbe part of the variable speed control if desired. For example, in FIG.7B, an alternate circuit 138′ is shown that operates without a HallEffect feedback sensor. Otherwise, all common items on circuit 138′ arenumbered similarly to items shown on circuit 138 (FIG. 7A) except with aprime symbol.

It should also be understood that, although a magnetic hall effectsensor 140 is illustrated in FIG. 7A, alternate embodiments of thevariable speed control may use other types of sensors, such as opticalsensors (e.g., optical pairs, photodiodes and transistors, etc.) andother pulse generators to determine the actual speed/RPM of the motoroutput shaft and/or the wheel being driven thereby.

Referring again to FIG. 6, when the controller 126 changes the motoroutput shaft's rotational speed/RPM, it is changing the rotationspeed/RPM of the drive shaft 52 which rotates the drive hub 43 and axle44 connected thereto, which in turn rotates the honing wheel 46 and wetgrinding stone 42 connected to the axle 44. In the embodimentillustrated, the drive hub 43 has a disc like shape with an outersurface 186 for frictionally engaging the drive shaft 52 of motor 50.More particularly, the drive hub 43 has a rubber outer layer 43 a thatextends about the circumference of an inner plastic body or disc 43 band grips the drive shaft 52 to rotate when driven by the rotating shaft52. This configuration allows the motor 50 to drive the axle 44 via africtional engagement configuration which allows the drive hub 43 (andaxle 44 connected thereto) to slip and stop rotating if an excessiveamount of force or friction is applied to either the honing wheel 46 andgrinding wheel 42. This configuration and slipping capability canprevent damage to the motor 50 and/or the tool being sharpened due toexcessive forces or friction being applied to the tool.

It will be appreciated that many other configurations for the actuator124 exist other than the dial 130 such as a key pad for typing in thedesired speed, or other types of inputs or switches such as slides orbuttons indicating selected speeds, whether predetermined or not. Itwill also be appreciated that the speed controller 126 could beprogrammed to change the rotation speed of the grinding stone 42 on itsown if it received a signal that automatically detected a change indiameter or speed/RPM of the grinding stone 42. For example, automaticdetection of the grinding stone diameter could be accomplished via avariety of optical sensors, such as for example, optical pairs, photodiodes and transistors, infrared (“IR”) sensors, fiber optic sensors, orother optoelectronic sensors, ultrasonic sensors, or otherpresence/absence sensors. In one form, the tool sharpener 10 may beprovided with multiple photo transistors/diodes connected to thecontroller 126 and spaced such that one photo transistor is switched onwhen the grinding stone diameter reaches nine inches (9″) in diameter,another photo transistor turns on when the grinding stone diameterreaches eight inches (8″) in diameter, and so on. Upon the detection ofeach transistor being turned on, the IC may be programmed toautomatically adjust the speed/RPM of the motor output shaft to accountfor the change in the diameter of the grinding stone 42.

In yet another form, the tool sharpener 10 may use a combination offeedback sensors to determine whether or not the grinding stone isoperating as desired and allowing the IC to take corrective action if itis not. For example, if the optical feedback sensors indicate that thediameter of grinding stone has reached a predetermined smaller diameterand the magnetic Hall Effect feedback sensor indicates that the grindingstone 42 is not rotating at a desired speed/RPM, then the IC 144 may beprogrammed to take corrective action to compensate for this feedback ordata. Thus, it should be clear that feedback sensors may be utilized ina variety of ways in conjunction with the tool sharpener 10.

In the manual grinding stone diameter detection method illustrated inFIGS. 9A-9C, however, a diameter gauge 200 is provided as one examplemechanism for manually measuring the diameter of the grinding stone 42.The diameter gauge 200 has a gauge member 202 mounted through a hole 204on the back panel 24 of the housing 12. As shown in FIG. 9C, the gaugemember 202 has a widened proximal end 206 extending within the interior48 of the housing 12 and a biasing member 208 such as a helical springextending between the widened head 206 and the back panel 24 to bias thediameter gauge 200 in a retracted position within the housing 12. Thegauge member 202 is positioned approximately the same height as the axle44 in order to extend along the radius of the grinding stone 42 sincethe axle generally defines the axis of rotation for the grinding stone42 as shown on FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that the gauge member 202could be placed higher or lower than this as long as the gauge providedan indication of diameter positioned on the gauge depending on acalculation that factors the distance between the gauge's position andthe radius of the grinding stone.

The proximal end 210 of the gauge member 202 has a through-hole 212 thatreceives an elongated stop 214 with enlarged longitudinal ends 216, 218.The through-hole 212 and stop 214 are sized so that the stop is free totranslate axially within the through-hole 212, similar to that of aslotted T-handle found on a vise or clamp. The enlarged ends 216, 218secure the stop 214 to the distal end 210. It should be understood,however, that in alternate embodiments the stop 214 need not be movablewith respect to the through-hole 212 so long as it can be rotated intoand out of engagement with the grinding stone 42.

When stored or placed in its stored position (as shown in FIG. 9B), thegauge member 202 is retracted into the housing 12 and the stop 214 restsagainst the back panel 24, across the hole 204 on the back panel, andprevents the gauge member from being completely drawn into the housing12. Conversely, when in use (as shown in FIG. 9A), gauge member 202 ispulled out of the housing 12 and the stop 214 is swung around or pushedaxially in front of the outer rim 132 of the grinding stone 42. An arrayof indicia 220, such as a scale, is disposed along the length of theguiding member 202 indicating the diameter of the grinding stone 42 bythe indicia that is disposed at the hole 204 on the back panel 24, ormore specifically, the indicia intersecting a plane defined by the hole204. After measurement, the elongated stop or rod 214 can simply bepushed back axially or rotated, which rotates the gauge member 202 inthe hole 204, to remove the gauge 200 out of the way of the rotatingouter rim 132.

In yet other embodiments, the gauge member 202 may be designed tocompletely retract into the housing 12 or retract sufficiently so thatthe distal end 210 is flush with the back panel 24. The gauge 202 couldthen be configured so that by either pushing on the distal end 210 oractuating another mechanism would eject at least a portion of the gaugemember 202 out of the housing 12 so that the user could pull the gaugefurther out of the housing and measure the diameter of the grindingstone 42. For example, the gauge member 202 could be designed so that bypushing the distal end 210 in toward the interior of the housing 12, thegauge member 202 would be slightly popped out of the housing leaving aportion of the gauge member 202 exposed so that the user could pull thegauge member 202 out of the housing 12 and rotated into contact with thegrinding stone 42. Then, as mentioned above, the biasing mechanism 208would position the stop 214 against the stone so that an accuratediameter reading may be made.

It will be appreciated that many other ways exist for measuring thediameter of the grinding stone or wheel 42 such as using indicia 222displayed on the top panel 22 of the housing 12 and next to the outerrim 132 of the grinding stone 42 (as shown in FIG. 1). For example, asshown in FIG. 10, the indicia 222 may be provided on a decal 224 that isadhered or otherwise secured to the top of the housing 12. In the formillustrated, the indicia 222 provides a scale in both inches andmillimeters (although other scales of measurement may be used). Ofcourse, although more cumbersome and not as accurate, the groundingstone 42 could simply be measured by hand, by a ruler, or other separatedevice, as well.

With reference to FIGS. 11-12, a friction adjustment device 160 isprovided that adjusts the friction between the drive shaft 52 of themotor 50 and the honing wheel 46 in order to compensate for slippingbetween the two caused by undesirable debris or wear on the honing wheel46 or the drive shaft 52. The motor 50 hangs on a pivot bar 162 thatextends from, and is mounted on, the two sidewalls 14 and 16. Twohangers 164 and 166 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) are pivotally mounted onthe pivot bar 162 and are attached to the motor 50 so that the motor,and in turn the drive shaft 52, is free to swing about the pivot bar(Step 180 on FIG. 12). The drive shaft 52 is also free to swing within aslot 178 on the side panel 26 (shown best in FIG. 5) so that it cancontact the honing wheel 46.

In alternate embodiments, the motor 50 may be configured to eitherdirectly drive axle 44, such as by way of a geared transmission, in lieuof the frictional engagement configuration discussed above, or by way ofa belt driven system. For example, in one form, the motor output shaftmay be connected to a drive gear that drives a gear or gears connectedto axle 44. In other forms, the motor output shaft may drive a hubconnected to a belt, such as a V-belt, which in turns drives a hubconnected to axle 44.

In place of or in addition to the friction adjustment device 160,alternate embodiments of the tool sharpener 10, such as those using abelt drive, may also include a tension adjustment mechanism which allowstension between the motor output shaft 52 and the member or membersdriven by the motor output shaft 52 to be tightened and/or released inorder to ensure that the operation of the motor 50 provides the desiredrotation of the honing wheel 46 and/or grinding stone 42 in anyparticular application. For example, in the belt driven system discussedabove, the motor 50 may be connected to a screw drive which allows themotor to be moved in one general direction to increase the amount oftension applied to the V-belt by the hub connected to the motor 50 andin a generally opposite direction to reduce the amount of tensionapplied to the V-belt by the hub connected to the motor 50. In yet otherforms, a tension adjusting mechanism such as a screw drive may move theaxle 44 and hub associated therewith.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11-12, the honing wheel 46 has an innerrim 168 relative to the contacting surface or outer rim 188 of thehoning wheel. The inner rim 168 is formed by, in this example, the outersurface 186 of the hub 43 of the honing wheel 46. The inner rim 168faces away form the axle 44 (i.e., and its axis of rotation) so that asthe motor 50 swings about pivot bar 162 downward due to gravity(referred to herein as being included in a ‘first’ force), the driveshaft 52 abuts the lower rim 168 as shown in FIG. 11 (Step 182 on FIG.12). Thus, friction created between the drive shaft 52 and the lower rim168 rotates the honing wheel 46, and in turn the grinding stone 42. Thisconfiguration permits the motor 50 and driveshaft 52 to temporarilyseparate from the honing wheel 46 when the wheels 42, 46 are overloadedwhich prevents damage to motor 50.

In order to compensate for an undesirable reduction in friction, thefriction adjustment device 160 adds a second force, in addition to thefirst force caused by gravity, that acts upon the drive shaft 52 toensure an adequate amount of friction exists between the drive shaft 52and inner rim 168. To accomplish this, the friction adjustment device160, at a minimum, includes an actuator 170 with a member 171 thatextends in the interior 48 of the housing 12 and toward at least eitherthe motor 50 or the drive shaft 52.

The member 171 engages the motor 50 or drive shaft 52, temporarily orpermanently, so that driving the member in a direction that pushes themotor 50 and/or the drive shaft 52 toward the outer rim 168 of thehoning wheel 46 creates the second force applied against the drive shaft(Step 184 on FIG. 12). Although not shown, it will be appreciated thatthe member 171 could contact the drive shaft 52 if the drive shaft had anon-rotating sleeve or any other non-rotating structure or the member171 may have a tip made of a low friction material or structure thatpushes the drive shaft 52 radially without creating significantcircumferential friction on the drive shaft 52.

The actuator 170, in one example, includes a gnarled knob 172 mounted onthe exterior of the front panel 20 of the housing 12 and is attached toa threaded shank 174 that forms the member 171. The shank 174 isthreaded directly to the front panel 20 for extending through the frontpanel 20 and into the interior of housing 12 so that it points towardthe motor 50. Upon rotation of the knob 172, the shank 174 is drivenaxially and farther into the interior 48 of the housing 12 so that itabuts (if it isn't already), and presses horizontally against, the outersurface 176 of the motor 50 and forms the second force against the driveshaft 52 to increase the friction between the drive shaft 52 and outerrim 168 of the honing wheel 46.

It will be appreciated that other configurations for the actuator 170and member 171 exist other than a knob or screw including any kind ofconfiguration with levers, slides, switches, cams or any othermechanical device that will move the motor 50 and drive shaft 52 towardsthe inner rim 168 of the honing wheel 46. It will also be appreciatedthat the member 171 could move in other directions other than horizontalto create the second force (i.e., it could be slanted or even movevertically against a cylindrical motor body for instance).

It will also be appreciated that alternative embodiments exist where thedrive shaft 52 directly contacts the contacting surface 188 of thehoning wheel or where the inner rim 168 faces inward instead of outwardon hub 43 and the drive shaft is urged radially outward and against theinner rim 168 by gravity or other mechanically or magnetically createdforces. It will also be understood that the drive shaft 52 may notdirectly contact the honing wheel when intermediary pieces such aswheels, gears, or additional shafts or even coatings, layers, orconcentric pieces such as collars are used on either the honing wheel orthe end of the drive shaft to further control the friction between thehoning wheel and the drive shaft. In still other embodiments, and asmentioned above, the drive shaft 52 may directly drive the grindingstone 42 or axel 44 rather than the honing wheel 46 and, thus, thesedrive embodiments and friction adjustment mechanisms may be applied tothe grinding stone 42 or axel 44 instead of the honing wheel 46 incertain embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 13A-13E, an alternative wet sharpener 250 has ahousing 252 positioned between a grinding stone 254 and a honing wheel256, similar to the wet sharpener 10 as shown in FIGS. 1-5. The housing252, the stone 254, and the wheel 256 are all mounted on a rotatingbase, such as pivot table 258, so that the grinding stone 254 and thehoning wheel 256 may be pivoted to a convenient orientation relative toa work table or other surface the wet sharpener 250 is placed upon. Thepivot table 258 may also be placed on a base or pedestal 260 as shown inFIG. 13A with storage spaces similar to base 18 of the wet sharpener 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 13C-13D, the pivot table 258 has a lower portionsuch as a lower plate 262, a support portion such as an annular disc 264and an upper portion such as an upper plate 266. The upper plate 266 isrotatably mounted on the disc 264 which in turn is mounted on, andsecured to, the lower plate 262. In the form illustrated, fasteners,such as screws or bolts, are inserted into the bottom of lower plate 262through bores and thread into corresponding threaded bores located inthe disc 264.

In the embodiment illustrated, the upper and lower plates 262 and 266are generally rectangular to match the generally rectangular outerperiphery of the wet sharpener 250 to avoid unnecessary extensionsbeyond the sharpener that might interfere with the manipulation of theaccessories used with the sharpener or a user's desired position whileoperating the sharpener. It should be understood, however, that thepivot table 258 could have an outer periphery with a circular shape orother shapes, if desired.

Four fasteners 268, similar to fasteners 40 on wet sharpener 10, securethe housing 252 to the top of the upper plate 266. The pivot table 252also has four feet 270 secured by counter-sunk screws 288 to the lowerplate 262 for support. The counter-sunk screws 288 may be extendedbeyond the bottom of the feet 270 to connect to the base 260 if desiredand as explained above for fasteners 40. A locking mechanism 272 securesthe upper plate 266 in any rotated orientation relative to the lowerplate 264.

In more detail, the upper plate 266 is secured to the lower plate 262 bya fastener 274 that, in this case, also defines an axis of rotation R(shown in FIG. 13D). In this example, the fastener 274 is a threadedscrew with a flat hex-shaped head that fits into a counter-sink bore 276formed by the lower plate 262. A raised disc section 278 of the lowerplate 262 forms a top of the counter bore 276 to retain the screw. Theraised disc section 278 also may support the upper plate 266. Thefastener 274 extends through the raised disc section 278 and through acentral bore 280 on the upper plate 262 that is sized to permit theupper plate 262 to rotate about the fastener 274. A nut 282 is shownthreaded to the fastener but it will be understood that other types offasteners or configurations may be used with or without a nut.

The support disc 264 is disposed concentrically around the axis ofrotation R and the raised disc portion 278. The support disc 264 alsomay be secured to the lower plate 262 by screws, adhesive, or any otherknown attachment device so that at least a bottom portion 284 and anannular, outer, side rim 286 of the support disc 264 does not rotate forengagement with the locking mechanism as explained further below. In oneform, the entire disc 264 does not rotate. In this case, the disc 264may have a low friction top surface so that the upper plate 262 slidesagainst the disc 264 as it rotates. Alternatively, the top portion ofthe disc 264 may not contact the top plate 262 at all. In thisalternative, the disc 264 is used mainly with the locking mechanism 272explained below.

In another alternative, the disc 264 may have a rotating, annular topportion that is secured to, and rotates with, the upper plate 262. Inthis case, the top portion of the disc rotates relative to the bottomportion of the disc. For this alternative, the disc may have a ballbearing channel or other mechanism between the top portion and bottomportion of the disc in order to facilitate the rotation of the topportion of the disc and top plate 262.

In one form, the locking mechanism 272 includes a releasable fastenersuch as a thumb screw 292, as shown in FIGS. 13C-13D. The thumb screw292 extends through a horizontally extending, threaded bore 294 on athickened, outer rim 296 on the upper plate 266. The lower plate 262 hasat least one upwardly extending protrusion 298 with a horizontallyextending bore 287. The upper plate 266 can be pivoted so that the upperplate bore 294 is aligned with the lower plate bore 289 so that thethumb screw 292 can be placed through both of the bores 289 and 294which locks the upper plate 266 so that it cannot rotate. In onealternative, the lower plate 262 has two oppositely positionedprotrusions 298 as shown in FIG. 13C to lock the upper plate 266 to thelower plate 262 in either a 0 degree or a 180 degree position. Ofcourse, it will be appreciated that many more protrusions with bores maybe provided to allow the upper plate 266 to be secured into desiredpositions about the axis of rotation R.

When the thumb screw 292 is disengaged from the lower plate bore 287,the upper plate is free to rotate upon screw 274. The thumb screw 292may be held in the upper plate bore 294 while the upper plate rotates.In one form, the upper plate bore 294 is place on the opposite side ofthe upper plate 266 from the side near the wet grinding stone 254 sothat the thumb screw 274 cannot be rotated under the grinding stone 265where the thumb screw could get wet from splashing water.

Once rotated to a desired position that is not in front of one of theprotrusions 298, the thumb screw 292 is screwed radially inward until itengages the outer rim 286 of the support disc 264 to lock the upperplate 262 in place in the rotated orientation. The locking engagementbetween the thumb screw 274 and the outer rim 286 may be a frictionengagement, such as that of a set screw, so that the top plate 266 maybe pivoted to any desired angle relative to the 0 degree position shownin FIGS. 13A-13B. In the alternative, or additionally, the outer rim 286may have one or more holes spaced around the outer rim 286 at desiredpositions to receive the screw 274 to lock the top plate 262 at certainangles. In this case, the holes may be spaced uniformly around the outerrim 286 such as at every 10, 15, or 30 degree position around the disc264 as an example. A benefit of having holes spaced around the rim (orpredetermined settings) is that the sharpener can be quickly placed intoa desired position by the user. Alternatively, however, a benefit ofusing a simple frictional engagement between the set screw and the outerrim 286 of disc 264 is that the user can quickly and easily mount thesharpener at an angle he or she desires. Other configurations for theengagement between the outer rim 286 and the thumb screw 274 will beapparent.

Referring to FIG. 13E, for one alternative locking mechanism 272′, aspring biased pin 289 is used instead of a thumb screw 274. The pin 289extends through a bore 291 that has a reduced diameter opening 293formed by an outer wall 295 on the thickened outer rim 296 of the upperplate 266. The pin 289 has a shoulder 297 to compress a spring 299between the shoulder 297 and the outer wall 295 which biases the pin 289radially inward and toward the protrusion 298 and/or the support disc264. The pin 289 is manually pulled radially outward to disengage itfrom the protrusion 298 and/or the support disc 264. Otherwise, theoperation is the same as that of locking mechanism 272.

It will be understood that the locking mechanism may take many differentforms instead of, or in addition to, the biased pin and thumb screwconfigurations described above. For example, the locking mechanism mayuse a vise-type clamp on the exterior and outer periphery of the lowerand upper plates 262 and 264. Such a clamp may be separable from,integral with, or permanently fixed to the plates 262 and 264. In otheroptions, the locking mechanism may use a cam to rotate and engage anouter rim of the upper plate 262 or a support portion thereof. In yetother configurations, the upper plate may be connected to a radiallyextending handle that engages a circumferentially or linearly extendingconfiguration opposing the handle and that locks the handle, and inturn, the upper plate in place. Such a configuration may be a ratchet orslide that locks the handle in a certain radial position or that thehandle may be locked to, such as by a fastener.

Referring now to FIGS. 14-18, a camber jig 300 is provided to hold toolssuch as a flat hand plane iron 308 (shown in FIGS. 17-18) in order toform a cambered or curved cutting edge 310 disposed on the underside 307of the tool 308 where the axis of rotation of the curved surface 310 isnon-parallel, and in one example perpendicular, to the axis of rotationA of the grinding wheel 42. While the camber jig 300 is designed to workideally with flat tools, the jig can be used to sharpen any tool thatcan be held steady by the jig.

The camber jig 300 has a base 302 rotatably mounted on one of thehorizontal support bars 68 of the tool sharpener 10. As shown in FIG.14, a pivoting member 304 is pivotally mounted on the base 302 so thatit can at least rock in a seesaw motion (as shown by Arrows ‘D’) abovethe base 302. A securing mechanism 305, such as a clamping plate 306 asone example, is mounted on the pivoting member 304 to clamp the tool 308between the clamping plate 306 and the pivoting member 304.

As shown in FIG. 15, two mounting collars 312, 314 extend downward fromthe base 302 and are aligned linearly to receive the support 68 (shownin FIG. 17). In one alternative, each mounting collar 312, 314 has arotating, hard plastic, mounting ring 316, 318 that is used to provide asnug fit on the support 68 and provides smooth rotation around thesupport 68 and its longitudinal axis ‘B’ on FIG. 17. This permits thetool 308 to be positioned at multiple angles relative to the grindingstone 42 or to be rotated during grinding to create a curved cuttingedge with a rotational axis parallel to the axis of rotation A of thegrinding stone 42.

A fulcrum 320 extends downward from a bottom surface 322 of the pivotingmember 304 and is received by a recess, such as indent 324, in themiddle of the top surface 326 of the base. In this example, the fulcrum320 is an elongated wall 328 with a distal end 330. The indent 324 has acorresponding semi-circular bottom 330. The indent 324 is dimensionedlarger than the fulcrum 320 to permit the fulcrum to rock laterallywithin the indent 324. With this configuration, the pivoting member 304pivots in a seesaw motion relative to the base 302 and about an axis ofrotation ‘C’ (shown in FIG. 17), which is transverse to both the axis‘B’ of the support 68 and the grinding stone's rotational axis ‘A’. Theaxis C is formed at the fulcrum 320 as shown in FIG. 14.

It will be appreciated that the fulcrum can have any shape that permitsthe pivoting member 304 to rock in at least seesaw fashion about axis‘C.’ Thus, the fulcrum 320 could be shortened and/or rounded to permit apivoting member to rock back and forth perpendicular to axis ‘C’ or inany number of other directions in addition to the direction of thecurrent seesaw motion. In addition, while fulcrum 320 is shown to beintegrally formed with the pivoting member 304, many otherconfigurations will work just as well such as the fulcrum being separateto all other parts or integral to the base 302 instead. In otheroptions, fulcrum 320 need not be in the longitudinal center of thepivoting member 304 and base 302, and may be placed off-center insteador may even be adjustable so that the position of the fulcrum isselectable along the bottom surface 322 of the pivoting member 304. At aminimum, the fulcrum 320 need only be positioned under the center of thetool 308 so that rocking the tool back and forth produces a symmetricalcurved cutting edge where symmetrical for reference here is from lateralside to lateral side 309, 311 as shown in FIG. 18.

The base 302 is elongated and has two opposing, longitudinal ends 334,336. At least one of the ends 334, 336, but preferably both ends, have awall 338, 340 respectively, extending upward from the top surface 326 ofthe base 302. The walls 338, 340 are disposed in the vicinity of the oneof the opposing, longitudinal ends 342, 344 of the pivoting member 304.The ends 342, 344 of the pivoting member 304 are configured for engagingthe walls 338, 340 respectively in order to secure the pivoting member304 laterally on the base 302 while permitting the pivoting member 304to move vertically in the rocking or seesaw motion. Thus, each end 342,344 of the pivoting member 304 respectively has a protrusion or tab 346or 348 that extends horizontally to its corresponding wall 338, 340. Thetabs 346, 348 (as shown in FIG. 15) are received by elongated,vertically extending slots 350, 352, on the interior face 354, 356 ofthe walls 338, 340 respectively. It will be appreciated that thetab-slot connection described here can be replaced with any equivalentengagement between the pivoting member 304 and the base 302 as long asthe pivoting member 304 is secured laterally while still permitting itto move in a seesaw motion.

Referring to FIG. 15, each of the ends 342, 344 of the pivoting member304 has a rocking knob 358, 360 respectively that is secured by afastener 362, 364 to the pivoting member 304. The knobs 358, 360 taperinward from bottom to top, and have a top indent 366, 368 shaped forreceiving a user's thumb. The knobs 358, 360 are made of a non-slipplastic or rubber sturdy enough to receive the fastener 362, 364directly although any other sufficient structure for receiving thefasteners may be used. As shown in FIG. 15, each knob 358, 360 has twospaced notches 370 that form an outwardly extending portion orprotrusion 372. The protrusions 372 are sized to fit within one of theslots 350, 352 on the base walls 338, 340 along with the tabs 346, 348of the pivoting member 304.

The rocking knobs 358, 360 are provided so that a user can hold the endsof the camber jig 300 in their hands and conveniently place their thumbsrespectively on the two rocking knobs 358, 360 to rock the pivotingmember in the seesaw motion. Thus, pressing alternatively on the knobsalternatively lowers the ends 342, 344 of the pivoting member 304towards the base 302.

In order to secure the tool 308 to the camber jig 300, the securingmechanism 305 includes two threaded posts 374, 376 that extend upwardfrom a top surface 378 of the pivoting member 304. The clamping plate306 has two spaced holes 380, 382 that correspond to the positions ofthe posts 374, 376 respectively. The securing mechanism 305 hascorresponding plastic, gnarled locking caps 384, 386 each withinternally threaded stems 385, 387 respectively for engaging the posts374, 376. Resilient members 388, 390, such as conical, helical springs,are disposed on the posts and between the clamping plate 306 and the topsurface 378 of the pivoting member 304. This biases the clamping plateupward to maintain an opening 391 (shown in FIG. 16) between theclamping plate 306 and the pivoting member 304 to conveniently receivethe tool 308 without cumbersome manipulation of the pivoting member andclamping plate. Tightening the locking caps 384, 386 on the posts 374,376 clamps the tool 308 between the clamping plate 306 and the pivotingmember 304.

The camber jig 300 also has an alignment bracket 392 for positioning thetool 308 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L of the jig 300(shown in FIG. 14). The bracket 392 has a bottom wall 394 extendinglaterally along the bottom surface 322 of the pivoting member 304, andhas a front wall 396 with a horizontally extending rib 398 disposedalong an interior surface 399 of the wall 396 (best seen in FIG. 14).The rib 398 engages, and slides within, a horizontally extending slot400 on either a front edge 402 or a back edge 412 of the pivoting member304.

As shown in FIG. 15, the bracket 392 also has a back wall 404 opposingthe front wall 394 and has a hole 406 for receiving a threaded fastener408 including a gnarled knob with an internally threaded stem that inturn holds a threaded shank. The fastener 408 points toward, andengages, the slot 400 so that when loosened, the fastener slideshorizontally within the slot so that the bracket can be movedlongitudinally on the pivoting member 304. Tightening the fastener 408against the slot 400, locks bracket 392 in a longitudinal position alongthe pivoting member 304.

An array of grooves 410 extends horizontally along the front and backedges 402, 412 and along the slot 400. The fastener 408 is wide enoughto engage and be secured laterally within the grooves 410, and the usermay center the tool 308 on the pivoting member 304 by counting thegrooves 410 from the center of the mounted tool to the two lateral edges309, 311 of the tool. Aligned sidewalls 414, 416 on the bracket 392 abutthe tool 308 to ensure the tool is perpendicular to the longitudinaldirection L of the camber jig 300. The bracket 392 also is reversible(i.e., the fastener 408 can face toward the front or the back of the jig300).

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 16, the camber jig 300 has two upper stopperdevices 418 and two downward stopper devices 420, one on each side ofthe fulcrum 320, that are used to stop the seesaw motion of the pivotingmember 304 at a selected position above the base 302 or to hold thepivoting member 304 in a selected position whether or not this positionis exactly horizontal (e.g., parallel to the base 302) as shown in FIG.16 or in any leaning or slanted position.

Each upward stopper device 418 has a threaded locking post 422 or 424extending upward from the top surface 326 of the base 302. The lockingposts 422, 424 extend through slots 426, 428 respectively (shown on FIG.15) and respectively engage resilient members 430, 432 such as helical,cone-shaped springs, and locking caps 434, 436. The locking caps mayhave gnarled knobs and stems 438, 440 with interior threads (not shown).The stems 438, 440 sit upon the springs 430, 432 to bias the pivotingmember 304 downward. The locking caps 434, 436 are individuallyadjustable so that one cap can be threaded further down on the posts 422or 424 than the other to hold the pivoting member 304 in a desiredslanted position. The slots 426, 428 are long enough to permit thelocking posts 422, 424 to move laterally within the slots so that theposts 422, 424 do not interfere with the rocking motion of the pivotingmember 304.

The downward stopper devices 420 have a screw 442 or 444 with a threadedshank or similar type of post 446, 448 respectively, and an oversized,circular, generally flat head 450, 452 with a gnarled outer rim 545. Theposts 446, 448 extend upward through holes 456, 458 on the base 302. Athreaded locking washer 460, 462 is respectively mounted on the posts446, 448 and disposed below the base 302. The posts 446, 448 both haverounded distal ends 464, 466 for abutting the bottom surface 322 of thepivoting member 304. Both the holes 456, 458 and the locking washers460, 462 may have threaded bushings 468, 470 in order to form the finethreads that engage the posts 446, 448 when it is more cost efficientsuch as when the camber jig is forged such that creating fine threads isrelatively expensive on forged pieces. The bushings 468, 470 may be of adifferent type of material than that of the remainder of the camber jig300 such as brass. The bottom surface 322 of the pivoting member 304 mayor may not have an indent (not shown) aligned with the posts 446, 448 toprevent any lateral slipping of the posts against the bottom surface322.

In operation, the washers 460, 462 are threaded away from the base 302so that the screws 442, 444 are free to be axially adjusted up and downthrough the holes 456, 458 to a desired height to set the minimum heightof the pivoting member 304 above the top surface 326 of the base 302 forthat corresponding side of the jig 300. Once the desired position isreached, the washers 460, 462 are threaded up along the posts 446, 448and tightly against the bottom surface 472 of the base 302 for lockingthe screws 442, 444 axially in place. The downward stopper devices 420are also individually adjustable so that the pivoting member 304 can bemaintained in a horizontal position or in any slanting position so thatone end 342, 344 of the pivoting member 304 is higher above the base 302than the other end of the pivoting member.

It will be appreciated that many other configurations exist for theupward and downward stopper devices 418, 420 as long as the structure isadjustable to set the limits of the rocking motion of the pivotingmember and/or to maintain at least one end of the pivoting member 304 ina horizontal, relative to the base, or slanted position when a range ofpositions are available.

It will also be appreciated that the camber jig 300 will still operateeven though the pivoting member 304 is not positioned entirely over thebase 302 of the jig. Thus, the pivoting member 304 may be longer orwider than the base 302 so that it extends beyond the base and has freeends that reciprocate up and down without direct attachment to the base302 as long as the pivoting member 304 can hold a flat tool for forminga cambered cutting edge on the tool. The attachment between the base 302and pivoting member 304 may even be minimal such that the fulcrum 320may be the only attachment between the pivoting member 304 and the base302.

Referring now to FIGS. 19-20, a grinding angle gauge 500 is used forpositioning a tool or tool support 502 at a desired angle relative tothe outer rim 132 of the grinding stone 42 as shown in FIG. 19. Thegauge 500 has a generally, flat, plastic body 504 with a first end 506opposing a second end 508. A widened, semi-circular periphery 510terminates the first end 56 and is used for abutting the outer rim 132of the grinding stone 42. A flat, plastic, generally arrow shaped scalemember 512 (where the tip of the arrow is at the axis of rotation) isrotatably mounted on the second end 508 of the body 504. The body 504has a recess 514 that is configured with a shape that corresponds to,but is slightly larger than, the scale member 512 so that the scalemember can slide or rotate within the recess. The scale member 512 has aslot 516 extending circumferentially relative to the axis of rotation R.A threaded fastener 518 extends through slot 516 and engages a lockingknob 520 with a gnarled head 522 and a stem 524. The locking knob isplaced over the slot 516 and is wider than the slot so that it clampsdown on a top surface 526 of the scale member 512 when engaging thefastener 518. The body 504 has a hole 528 in the recess 514 forpermitting the screw to extend through it and to the slot 516.

The gauge 500 also has an angle indictor 530 that has a pointed end 532and an opposing, back, flat end 534 that extends perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction of the indicator 530. The indicator 530 has adownwardly extending stem 536 for mounting through a hole 538 on thescale member 512 and into a mounting collar 540 integrally formed with,or otherwise attached to, the body 504 and centered at the axis ofrotation R for the scale member 512 and the indicator 530. Acircumferentially extending slot 542 on the indicator 530 aligns with aslot 544 on the scale member 512, which is long enough to permit fullrotation of the scale member 512 within the recess 514. The two slots542 and 544 align with a hole 546 where both slots and the hole receivea fastener 548. A locking knob 550 engages the fastener 548 and isdisposed on top of the indicator 530. Similar to locking knob 520, thelocking knob 550 has a wide gnarled head 552 for grasping and a stem 554with interior threading for engaging the fastener 548. The outsidediameter of the stem 554 is wider than slot 542 for locking theindicator 530 against the scale member 512 and body 504.

The scale member 512 has at least one arrow 568, though two are shown,displayed on the top surface 526 of the scale member 512 and pointingtoward grinding stone diameter indicia 556 arranged circumferentiallyalong an upper edge 564 of the body 504. Angle indicia 558 also extendscircumferentially on the top surface 526 of the scale member 512 andwhere the pointed end 532 can point to the indicia 558. The body 504also has a recess 560 on both sides of the body 504 (only one side isshown) for receiving a grooved handle grip 562 that is adhered to thebody 504.

In operation, first the knobs 520 and 550 are loosened so that the scalemember 512 and indicator 530 are free to rotate about the mountingcollar 540 and rotational axis R. The scale member 512 is then rotateduntil the arrow 568 on the scale member 512 is aligned with the currentdiameter of the grinding stone 42 as indicated by the indicia 556 on thebody 504. With the knob 520 turned to lock the scale member 512 inplace, knob 550 can be loosened or tightened as needed to move theindicator 530 without moving the scale member 512.

In order to determine the angle of an implement 502 such as a tool, jigor support, relative to the grinding stone, the angle gauge 500 isplaced on the grinding stone 42 so that the periphery 510 of the body504 rests on the grinding stone 42 and the left or inner corner 566 ofthe flat end 534 of the indicator 530 also rests on the outer rim 132 ofthe grinding stone 42. The flat end 534 of the indicator 530 is placedflush against the implement 502 at the angle grinding is to take place.In this position, as shown in FIG. 19, the pointed end 532 of theindicator 530 points to the indicated angle on the array of indicia 558.The angle on the indicia actually represents the angle of the tool 502relative to the tangent on the outer rim 132 of the grinding stone 42where the indicator 530 touches the outer rim 132. In order to place animplement 502 at a desired angle, the indicator 530 is first rotated topoint to the desired angle and secured before the implement 502 isplaced flush against the flat end 534 of the indicator 530.

Referring to FIGS. 21-22, a cutting edge angle gauge 600 is used tomeasure the cutting edge angle on a sharpened tool (not shown). Theangle gauge 600 has a first member 602 such as a generally circularplate with a sector missing and is made of generally transparentplastic. The first member 602 is mounted on a second member 604 which isa semi-circular piece of metal with a raised outer rim 606 and angleindicia 608 displayed on its upper face 610. Indicia 608 is positionedso that it is visible through the first member 602. A pointer 624 alignswith the indicia 608 and is either a part of the structure of the firstmember 602 (e.g., molded with, etched on, fastened on, or adhered to thefirst member 602) or pointer 624 is indicia displayed on the firstmember. It will be appreciated, however, that the gauge is not limitedto any one material for the first and second members or structure of thepointer and array of indicia as long as one member has a pointer thatcan be to indicate certain indicia on an array of indicia on the othermember.

The first member 602 has a circumferential extending slot 612 that iscentered around an axis of rotation AR. A hole 614 is provided on thesecond member 604 and is aligned with the slot 612 so that a fastener616 such as a screw, can extend through the slot 612 and thread to thehole 614. The fastener 616 has an enlarged, gnarled head 618 that can betightened against the first member 602 to secure it in a selectedposition on the second member 604.

In operation, a first side (not shown) of the tool's cutting edge isplaced flush against a first measuring edge 620 on the first member 602,and the bottom member 604 is then be rotated until its second measuringedge 622 extends flush against a second side (not shown) of the cuttingedge on the tool so that the first and second measuring edges 620, 622represent the angle of the cutting edge on the tool. So positioned, thepointer 624 then indicates the angle of the cutting edge on the indiciaarray 608.

Either of the gauges 500 and/or 600 may be mounted on one of the panels20, 22, 24, 26 and/or 28 of the housing 12 or on the base 18 forconvenient storage. As shown on FIG. 23, for example, one of sidewalls14, 16 of the housing 12 is provided with a pocket 650 formed by araised rib 652 that has a shape corresponding to the shape of the gaugeto be held, in this case cutting edge angle gauge 600. Thus, the rib 652is generally C-shaped, with a linear portion 654 and two ends 656 and658. Either the rib 652 is sized so that the gauge 600 fits snuglywithin the rib, or, as in this case, a magnet 660 is disposed on thesidewall 16 or on the back of the gauge 600 to secure the gauge 600 tothe sidewall 16. Grinding angle gauge 500 could also be secured to thehousing 12 or base 18 in a pocket with a magnet mounted on the back ofthe plastic body 504. Otherwise, it will be appreciated that the pocket650 can be used to hold many other instruments with many differentshapes whether with a rib as shown or with other structures such as apocket with an outside wall.

Lastly, in addition to the accessories mentioned above, the sharpener 10may also include a secondary honing wheel which is shaped to allowangled or curved surfaces of the tool being sharpened to be honed andpolished. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 24, asecondary honing wheel, such as the back-to-back frusto-conical or hourglass shaped wheel 49, is attached to the axel 44 and rotated therebyalong with the primary honing wheel 46. The flanged ends 49 a and 49 bof the secondary honing wheel 49 may be used to hone and polish theinside of gouges, chisels and other U-shaped or V-shaped tools.

In the embodiment illustrated, a shank 51 is provided with internalthreads, such as a threaded bore, on one end and external threads, suchas a bolt portion, on the opposite end. To install the secondary honingwheel, the honing wheel fastener 47 and washer (if any) are removed fromthe threaded end 44 b of axel 44 and the threaded bore end of shank 51is fastened to threaded end 44 b of axel 44. A mating surface, such asflats 51 a and 51 b, is provided to allow a tool, such as a pliers orwrench, to be connected to the shank 51 and used to securely fasten theshank to the axel 44. Then, the secondary honing wheel 49 is installedonto the threaded bolt portion of the shank 51 so that the threaded boltportion passes through the central opening in the honing wheel 49. Thehoning wheel fastener 47 and washer (if any) may then be inserted on thedistal end of the threaded bolt portion of shank 51 and tightened tosecure the secondary honing wheel 49 to the axel 44 and the primaryhoning wheel 46. Thus, when the axel 44 is driven by the motor 50, boththe primary and secondary honing wheels 46 and 49 will be rotated.

In the form illustrated, the secondary honing wheel 49, like the primaryhoning wheel 46, is made of leather and used to hone, polish, or deburrthe tool being sharpened. Of course, if desired, the secondary honingwheel 49 and shank 51 may be removed from axel 44 and left off. It alsoshould be understood that the secondary honing wheel 49, like theprimary honing wheel 46 and grinding wheel 42, can be connected to thetool sharpener 10 in a variety of different manners and with a varietyof different fasteners as discussed above.

While the specification illustrates and describes particular embodimentsof the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changesand modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it isintended in the appended claims to cover all those changes andmodifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

1. A tool sharpener, comprising: a housing including an interior and anexterior; at least one rotatable grinding stone disposed adjacent thehousing; and at least one storage space disposed within the interior ofthe housing and accessible from the exterior of the housing.
 2. Thesharpener of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a wall with at leastone opening, the sharpener further comprising at least one receptacle atleast partially forming the storage space and being accessible throughthe opening.
 3. The grinder of claim 2, wherein the at least onereceptacle is movable through the opening.
 4. The sharpener of claim 3,wherein the housing includes at least one rail extending inward from avicinity of the opening(s), and wherein the at least one receptacle is adrawer that slides along the rail(s).
 5. The sharpener of claim 1,wherein the grinding stone is a wet wheel.
 6. The sharpener of claim 5,wherein the grinding stone is a first wheel and the sharpener furtherincludes a second wheel provided adjacent the housing.
 7. The sharpenerof claim 1, further comprising a base, and wherein the housing isdisposed on the base.
 8. The sharpener of claim 7, wherein the baseincludes an interior, an exterior, and a storage space within theinterior and accessible from the exterior.
 9. The sharpener of claim 8,wherein the base includes a base wall with at least one opening, thesharpener further including at least one receptacle at least partiallyforming the storage space in the base and being accessible through theopening of the base wall.
 10. The sharpener of claim 9, wherein thereceptacle is a drawer slidable through the opening of the base wall.11. The sharpener of claim 9, wherein the base includes at least onerail extending internally in a vicinity of the opening(s) of the basewall, and wherein the drawer(s) slide along the rail(s).
 12. Thesharpener of claim 9, wherein the base wall includes two openings forslidably receiving at least one drawer each.
 13. A sharpener,comprising: a base with an interior, an exterior and a storage spacewithin the interior and being accessible from the exterior; a housingdisposed on the base; and a grinding stone disposed adjacent thehousing.
 14. The sharpener of claim 13, wherein the base includes a wallwith at least one opening, the sharpener further including at least onereceptacle at least partially forming the storage space and beingaccessible through the opening.
 15. The sharpener of claim 14, whereinthe receptacle is a drawer slidable through the opening.
 16. Thesharpener of claim 14, wherein the base includes at least one railextending internally in a vicinity of the opening(s), and wherein thedrawer(s) slides along the rail(s).
 17. The sharpener of claim 14,wherein the wall includes two openings for slidably receiving at leastone drawer each.
 18. A sharpener, comprising: a housing having anexterior and multiple sides; at least one rotatable grinding stonedisposed along one of the sides of the housing; and a storage receptaclemounted on the exterior of the housing and on one of the sides of thehousing.